Buena Vista Pictures via Everett Collection
In a movie filled with rocket-fueled cartoon high jinks — babbling rabbits dodging armies of merciless kitchenware, motormouth cabs zooming through (and over) the streets of Los Angeles, stray bullets arguing over the whereabouts of their desired target, piano duels that devolve into feather-flying donnybrooks — it says quite a bit that the scenes driven by a non-animated sourpuss in his mid 40s don't drag in the slightest. In fact, some of my favorite material from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a movie that enjoys a permanent home in my top five, is that of Bob Hoskins' curmudgeonly detective Eddie Valiant.
Today, the role in a film like this (as if a film like this could really be made today) would be given to someone like Ryan Reynolds — handsome, goofy, capable of matching his hand-drawn sidekick in family friendly slapstick. But the Valiant we got in '88 had to play down the loony and up the humane. Not only is it called for on a narrative level (he hates toons), but also in the management of the film's unbelievable gravity. Thanks to wily Roger and his propensity for withstanding any number of refrigerator-based head injuries, Robert Zemeckis' first foray into the world of animation is not stingy with the hysterics. But on the other side of the Toontown tunnel, we find a glimmer of the real world: Hoskins, playing a prickly, dejected has-been committed to slathering all memories of a happier time in a thick coating of whiskey.
Buena Vista Pictures via Everett Collection
Without Hoskins' earnest, earthy approach to the character — playing him with the cranky determination you'd find in the leading men of John Huston or Roman Polanski — Who Framed Roger Rabbit would be little more than an impressive technical feat. In Valiant, we're grounded to the tenets of adulthood: pragmatism, prejudice, and gloom, played against the impossibly impenetrable childhood of Roger. Though most of our laughs come from the bowtied showman and his colorful ilk, we need to experience their story through Eddie, to channel these nutballs' hidden humanity through the lens of Hoskins' reluctant hero.
Luckily, Hoskins gives us that chance, creating an Eddie Valiant that ushers us seamlessly from a recognizable world into the bizarre but (thanks to Bob) shockingly inviting neo-noir of the '47 L.A./Toontown border. Not worried about getting his solo in the showstopper and concerned only with telling a terrific story, Hoskins still manages to give Who Framed Roger Rabbit some of its most winning scenes, and incredible feat accomplished by not vying toward the sky-high mania of Roger but in helping to anchor the character and his elastic brethren down to our own terrestrial homestead. Hoskins shoulders the responsibility of making not just Eddie but the world around him feel real, palpable, and worthwhile. And whether he's drowning his own malaise, casing back alleys, and struggling to restrain a compulsively wacky cartoon rabbit, he — just like his grumbling private eye — gets the job done.
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Vallery Jean/GettyLady Gaga's ARTPOP, Katy Perry's Prism, Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP 2: most of the big-hitters have now hit the shelves in time for the Christmas rush, but there are still several albums that will only see the light of day in December that are worth getting excited about. Here are five of the biggest.Britney Spears – Britney JeanThe first two singles from Britney's eighth studio album haven't really struck a chord outside her loyal fan base. But featuring collaborations with everyone from William Orbit to T.I. to her younger sister Jamie Lynn, her self-described most personal record to date also sounds like it could be the most intriguing.R. Kelly - Black PantiesFollowing his unlikely alliance with French synth-pop outfit Phoenix and his first US Top 20 hit in seven years with Lady Gaga collaboration "Do What U Want," the self-proclaimed Pied Piper of R&amp;B looks like continuing his musical rehabilitation with a typically sexually-charged studio effort which he's described as "the new 12 Play."Leona Lewis – Christmas, With LoveLast year's under-rated but hugely troubled Glassheart didn't even get a US release so The X-Factor UK's most gifted vocalist will now be hoping to revive her career with a carefully-chosen collection of Christmas classics ("Winter Wonderland," "White Christmas") and original festive compositions.Rebecca Ferguson – FreedomPoised to take over from Lewis as The X-Factor UK's biggest soul star, 2010 runner-up Rebecca Ferguson follows up her Billboard Top 30 debut album, Heaven, with another effortlessly elegant array of heartbreak anthems co-written with the likes of piano man Aqualung and Jay-Z cohort Mr. Hudson.Childish Gambino – Because The InternetThe Community star has had to fight to get his second studio effort released in time for Christmas following record label concerns that it would get lost amongst all the blockbuster releases. Featuring guest appearances from Jhene Aiko, Chance The Rapper and motormouth Azealia Banks, Because The Internet might not be challenging for the number one spot but it could be a late contender for hip-hop album of the year.
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Seemingly devoid of the filter that makes most media-trained pop stars mind-numbingly inoffensive, Lily Allen became renowned just as much for her motormouth as her distinctive brand of confessional pop before she ‘retired’ from the music industry in 2010. Her many rivals may have enjoyed several years of respite from her vicious tongue. But they should now be gearing themselves up for some more home truths after the 28-year-old confirmed her comeback with the launch of a new official website last month. Here’s a look at Lily at her 'keeping it real' best.
The Pussycat Dolls were one of the first major names to feel the wrath of Lily Allen in a blatant case of pot calling the kettle black in 2006:
"I've got a really big problem with the Pussycat Dolls, because I think they're a really bad role model for little girls...they're too skinny, take all their clothes off, don't say anything, promote womanising and look like lapdancers as far as I'm concerned."
Having recorded an ironic tribute to Cheryl Cole for the B-side to debut single "Smile," Allen then retaliated in typically brutal fashion after the Girls Aloud star described her as a "chick with a d**k."
"Cheryl, if you're reading this, I may not be as pretty as you, but at least I write and sing my own songs without the aid of Auto-Tune. I must say, taking your clothes off, doing sexy dancing and marrying a rich footballer must be very gratifying, your mother must be so proud, stupid b**ch."
Grime artist Lady Sovereign found herself on the receiving end of Lily's fury in 2007 after claiming that she owed all her success to her actor father, Keith Allen:
"In response to Miss Sovereign's comments, I've spoken to my dad and he says he'd be happy to adopt you if you think it will give you a leg up."
Katy Perry later apologised for the "I’m a thinner version of Lily Allen" comment she made during a British radio interview, but not before the target of her jibe bit back:
"I happen to know for a fact that she was an American version of me...I think the lyrics and stuff are a bit crass...It's like, you're not English and you don't write your own songs, shut up!"
Lily took on the ultimate pop star diva, Sir Elton John, in 2008 after he made fun of her tipsy state at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards:
"F*** off Elton, I'm 40 years younger than you. I have my whole life ahead of me."
Lily unofficially spoke up for every celebrity whose photo has been defaced on Perez Hilton’s trashy gossip site during her first major Twitter spat in 2009:
"Go away you little parasite...you cheap-ass whore."
After a lengthy Twitter battle in which Azealia Banks described Allen as a one-hit wonder and her children as 'ugly,' Lily delivered the knockout punch with this inspired summary of the rapper's hesitant career approach:
"ive had 2 kids since [Banks' 2011 debut single] 212 dropped and i bet my my album still comes out 1st. b**ch is scared of the ball. OUT."
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The presence of Judd Apatow has never been more present than it was during last night's Season 2 finale of Girls. The executive producer of the HBO series that everyone loves to hate to talk about penned "Together" along with star Lena Dunham (who also, impressively directed the episode) and the whole thing felt very Apatow-esque. No, there were no gross-out moments per se (at least not on par with the Q-tip heard scene heard 'round the world) but there was enough conveniently wrapped-up sentimentality to counteract that whole sex montage. For a season that's been as dark and bleak and daring (ahem, "One Man's Trash") as this one, "Together" played it awfully safe.
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That's not to say it was a bad episode, it just ended on a note so wildly different from the rest of this divisive, albeit brilliant Golden Globe-winning season. Even its opening sequence, a depressed, unraveling Hannah differed substantially from its movie magic ending. Maybe the opener felt more on par with me not only with Girls, but in real life. Who, like Hannah (who was still suffering from her OCD symptoms), hasn't nervously Googled everything from a medical diagnosis to asking "At what age does your body start to meltdown?" I mean I once self-diagnosed a stomach ache as a ruptured appendix. Stay away from the Internet if you're a hypochonriac, kids.
Even worse, Hannah got a phone call from her editor wondering where her work was. Her ear issue (and let's be honest, her depression-induced procrastination) had stopped her from writing so much as a single word. Look, I'm not judging Hannah. My ill-advised Googling is only matched by my procrastination, so I could relate. When she panics because they have already cut her an advance ("It's hard for me to tell if I spent that check or a different check, so I'm gonna have to check") and goes into a tailspin because she has "a day to write a book" (not true, she just needed to turn in some pages) is when it all really turns to s**t.
It's a good thing Hannah didn't know what her friends were up to, because honestly, it would bum her out even more. While she was busy have an existential mid-life crisis, Marnie was getting busy with her ex Charlie (and it was pretty hot at that) and her ex Adam was getting busy with his new girlfriend Natalia, who was letting it be known that she doesn't like to be degraded during sex. Go figure. Apparently for the guys on Girls, no amount of horrifically embarassing rapping or borderline raping will stop the objects of their affection from allowing them back for more.
Shoshanna, on the other hand, was not having as good a time during the sex sequence. Clearly still wracked with guilt and ready to break up with Ray, the two were not in sync in (or out of) the bedroom. You know it's bad when someone asks you to "get out" of them. Of course, with the doomed Shoshanna and Ray, that has a double meaning. Shoshanna finally tells Ray that his lack of ambition is wearing on her and that it's a real issue he must fix.
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And so he did... or he attempted to anyway. Ray went to his boss (played by Colin Quinn, who I hope returns if only to hear him make more jokes about Shoshanna's bread-themed purses) and told him he was going to quit to go back to school to get a PhD in Latin Studies. His boss told him that's a ridiculous idea (it is) and offered him the position of manager at a new Grumpy's location in Brooklyn Heights. Ray wisely obliged and started putting the pieces in place to be the man Shoshanna needed him to be. (Side note: I love how Ray corrected his boss about Shoshanna's bag actually being a clutch. It was a nice added touch to show that Ray is not only listening to the motormouth Shosh, but that he actually does care).
But, sadly for Ray, it wouldn't be enough. Shoshanna was too exhausted by his "dark soul" and his hatred of everything from dinner to children's laughter to stay with him. She thought he needed therapy and that her love for him was only matched by her utter pity for him. She said he would need to change, and maybe when time would make her appreciate him, could they actually be together. Ray — who accused Shoshanna of having another man on the back burner — snapped that maybe she was the one who should change, took his Andy Kaufman with him, and slammed the door on her and possibly their relationship forever. I don't know who I felt worse for in this scene, but I do know that Zosia Mamet bursting into tears made me ache for Shoshanna and the pain of watching her first real love fall apart.
Things transpired a little bit better for Marnie and Charlie. During brunch Marnie talked wistfully about how they were back together, settled, much to the surprise of Charlie. In true Marnie fashion she whined ("Do you really not want to date me?") and stomped off (while literally folding her arms like a child). Only this time, she got her way. Charlie chased after her and the two confessed their lingering love towards one another. Now, I'm not Marnie fan (hell, I'm hardly even a Charlie fan) but when she told him she wants to have his babies and watch him die, I actually started to like her. That was quickly erased when, after having a genuine, heartfelt moment with him that she wasn't with him for his money. You almost make me miss Jessa, Marnie. Almost.
Speaking of, Hannah called Jessa in full meltdown mode. Not to check up on her really, but to scold her for just taking off and leaving her behind. While I agree with Hannah on that (I actually think Jessa is the most self-absorbed of the bunch, hell, even her voicemail message makes it loud and clear that she doesn't give a s**t about anyone but herself) her screeching into the phone that she has no friends was simply the cry of someone who needed someone to tell her she's great.
She does have friends and family that care for her (in fact, Marnie went to check on her and her father, who always has her back, just finally stood up for himself with her) she just was in a hole too deep to notice or care. What exactly has Marnie done to Hannah lately that would garner her whining that she's "anorexic"? And all poor Shoshanna was called was "f**king Shoshanna," but I'd venture to guess that girl would be over to hold her hand with one phone call.
Hell, it's bad when her weird neighbor Laird — the very same guy who helped finish your absolutely terrible homemade haircut (I admit, that disaster-before-your-eyes scene made me laugh almost as hard as the scene on Louie when he tried to fix his daughter's doll at Christmas) — tells you you're self-absorbed and that your "insides are rotten." He's not wrong, in a sense. While I don't think Hannah is, at the core, a bad person, she is a selfish one. (Even worse, she suggested she had to fight him off when they hooked up, when she's the one who went after him).
While anyone in their twenties can relate to the feeling she referred to — the idea that when you were a kid, your dad would clean up broken glass so you wouldn't get hurt, but as an adult, no one cares — is immediately counteracted by the feeling of: Hey, Hannah, you're a grown-up. You break a glass, you clean it up, that's the way it works. And until you start caring about other people's broken glass, or trying to make sure they don't get hurt, everyone will abandon you.
But the worst thing Hannah could have done, after coming up empty trying to bargain with her father or the vain hope that Jessa would actually pick up, was call Adam. Which is exactly what she does. Adam, who is already in the midst of his own scary meltdown, talks to her over video phone, sees the she needs "rescuing," and like something out of a Apatow romantic comedy, he runs to her rescue.
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The only problem with the sequence of a romantic reunion between Adam and Hannah (spliced in with a shot of a beaming Charlie and Marnie and Shoshanna, free of Ray, laughing and making out with "an adult male blond") is that these two haven't actually matured, if anything they've gotten worse, and the image of her being scooped up in his arms while swelling music plays isn't a sweet one, it's a scary one. These two need saving, but not from each other, so much as themselves.
I would have felt overjoyed if, instead, Hannah sat at her computer and actually wrote anything (she seemed to eke out one sentence about college friendships) or took her medication, but she backpedaled...right back to Adam. I don't see Adam as this romantic the show seems to want to frame him as, especially not after last week's horrific sex debacle with Natalia. I think Adam loves the idea of Hannah being the weaker one (see: his sexual preferences) and literally ran to the opportunity to be part of that power shift. Marnie, Shoshanna, and Hannah all technically got what they wanted at the end of the episodes, but there's something darker under the surface, something that Season 2 had been going for all along and something, hopefully, Season 3 and the risk-taking Dunham will get back to exploring.
[Photo credit: HBO]
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L.A. Reid is quitting on us, folks. Yep, the record mogul decided that he could not live on Pepsi ads, the possibility of a Khloe Kardashian wardrobe malfunction, and Mario Lopez’ Pavlovian calls for viewers’ tweets, alone. I think we all know how he feels. These X Factor results shows—stretching ten minutes’ worth of content over sixty—have become an exercise in endurance and reality TV minimalism, in which we’re forced to confront directly the experience of time, as if we were watching an experimental film such as Michael Snow’s Wavelength in which nothing at all happens except our own act of watching it. At this point would I rather see an X Factor results show or sit through Andy Warhol’s Empire, an eight-hour movie consisting solely of a single shot of the Empire State Building? I honestly cannot say.
I mean, at least the Dancing With the Stars results shows include some enjoyably kitschy dance numbers to liven things up. X Factor’s sole attempt at a musical extravaganza was to have the four remaining contestants perform Dirty Money’s “Coming Home.” Sleeve-challenged boy band Emblem 3 ineptly rhymed their way through Diddy’s rap verses, while Carly Rose Sonenclar took over the Skylar Grey part. I’m afraid, Carly, that your destiny will be much like Skylar Grey’s: to linger in the shadows intoning a soothing, siren-song chorus, only to be blasted off stage by a motormouth rapper and his testosterone-fueled lyrics. But hey, at least they didn’t perform “I Need a Doctor.”
Unlike previous weeks, Thursday night’s results show featured only one elimination. Hence the extra filler. With only one more act set to get the boot, we’d then be all set for the showdown of the Top 3 during the finale. Khloe and Mario announced first that Fifth Harmony was safe. The abject loathing on Britney Spears' face upon hearing that Simon’s girl group had survived was palpable…and hilarious. While the pop tart has only one real positive critique to add at any given time—“amazing!”—her negative commentary is so refined, so precisely calibrated that words are in fact too imprecise to convey the subtle shades of her meaning. Pantomime is the only way to directly convey her emotional response. Have any of you guys ever since David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me? In the movie, Lynch’s FBI officer has a secretary named Lil, who can only communicate via a complex, highly ritualized repertoire of facial expressions. That’s pretty much Britney, who must boast at least fifty different shades of stinkface alone at this point. Truly, the greatest music to emerge from The X Factor this whole season is the symphony of emotion writ-large across Britney’s face.
One of those slightly more restrained stinkface expressions she saved for Tate Stevens, who was next saved. Britney is really, really not a country music fan. Yes, she’s from Louisiana. But you know what they say: this is a woman you can take out of the country, just don’t you dare put country in her earbuds.
L.A. Reid, however, remained Tate’s biggest supporter. “I can’t even claim to have been a country music fan,” the record mogul confessed. “But you know what I am now? I am a Tate Stevens fan.” I’m sure that when Stevens’ album makes its debut exclusively at Cracker Barrel—the restaurant chain that is to country music what Starbucks is to easy listening—alongside the latest offerings from Wynonna Judd and the Oak Ridge Boys, Reid will be in line.
So that left Carly Rose Sonenclar and Emblem3 in the bottom two. And Emblem3 got the boot. America just isn’t ready for our own Stateside version of One Direction. Especially since Cowell, devoted to micromanaging the boy band’s image, hasn’t allowed them to perform any of their original material in weeks. “I’m gutted, really, for them,” Cowell said. “But I really mean this. You are gonna have a huge career on the back of this.” We’ll see about that. I’m just sad their departure here in the semifinals means we’ll never get to see them compare biceps with Mario Lopez.
And so that’s our Top 3: Fifth Harmony, Tate Stevens, and Carly Rose Sonenclar. Do you think America made the right choice by sending Emblem3 packing? And do you think Cowell’s right about their future career prospects? See you next week for the finale!
Follow Christian Blauvelt on Twitter @Ctblauvelt
[Photo Credit: Fox]
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Award shows are rough. Sometimes, the planets align and the most admirable nominees become thoroughly deserving winners (here's looking at you, Modern Family Season 1); other times, the industry goes into freak-out mode when an unexpected win shakes the system (even Edie Falco didn't know that Nurse Jackie was a comedy!). Then, perhaps, there's the most tragic of all award show misfortunes: the infamous Emmy oversight. These are the cases of the meritorious should-be nominees, the actors and actresses who don't make it onto the ballot, yet whose shows would lack the key ingredients that make them successes in the first place should the non-nominees depart.
What's Parks and Rec without the marvelous, mustachioed Nick Offerman? Revenge without Madeleine Stowe's perfectly icy gazes? It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia without the never-sunny-yet-always-Sweet (Dee) Kaitlin Olson?
Over the last few weeks, our writers have made their case for a host of performers who should have gotten the call from Emmy long ago, but who have yet to be nominated for their often irreplaceable roles on television's best (and sometimes not-so-best) shows. Here are some choice excerpts:
Kelly Schremph on Smash's Megan Hilty (Ivy Lynn): "Hilty brings more to the table than just her musical chops — she (or rather her multi-layered character) also brings tons of drama. Hilty provides a depth to the series in areas where everyone else falls short. She conjures up just as much emotion in her onstage performances as she does to her offstage antics. Ivy has faced a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the first season and, in doing so, has really carried a majority of the plot. Think about it — without Hilty's scene-stealing moments and grand musical numbers, would Smash really be... well... a smash?"
Michael Arbeiter on Happy Endings' Adam Pally (Max Blum): "The humor and the softer side of Max are both attributed to the glorious performance of Pally. He makes the character mean, but lovable. Hilarious, but sad. Max is more than just a wise-cracking sidekick; he's a lonely man, stuck in the only routine with which he's comfortable. The way Pally carries Max through each episode is not only entertaining — it's extremely artistic. He's constantly looking for love all the while pushing it away. And he throws in a handful of Goonies references and sardonic remarks to boot. While everyone on Happy Endings should be applauded, Pally is the reigning champion."
Kelsea Stahler on Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson): "…let us consider that Offerman’s talent extends beyond delivering hilarious one-liners with the anti-gusto that makes his brow-furrowed character who he is — though you’ve got to love the way he grumbles about anything that isn’t steak, whiskey, or breakfast food. His greatest contribution to the character is the fact that he can quite literally steal an entire episode with only a single, fleeting expression… while much of that credit goes to the writers, the creation of any great TV character is born out of a symbiotic relationship between an actor and the folks who put words in his mouth. Without Offerman, there is no Ron Swanson."
Aly Semigran on Girls' Zosia Mamet (Shoshanna): "While other actresses would have been tempted to play too over-the-top or underplay Shoshanna's less attractive qualities (a spoiled rich girl with all the luxuries of Manhattan life at her disposal whose main objective seems to be finding a man), Mamet has carefully crafted her character into a motormouth princess who you would likely avoid in real life, but whose every sped-up word on Girls you hang on to. ('I'm so happy to see you, I could murder you.') Not to mention, she's the most likable one of the bunch… Mamet has made the playful yet nuanced Shoshanna both Girls' colorfully dressed black sheep and the one viewers most want to include in their own gang."
Shaunna Murphy on Mad Men's Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper): "Shipka manages to steal every scene she's in. Though we love our Peggy, our Ken, and our Joan, it's Sally's experiences that are the most universally relatable, and it takes a very talented actor to make those experiences so emotionally powerful for the adults who went through them decades ago. Shipka makes it seem easy, and though we love Sunday night television's other female teen powerhouse (Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams as Arya Stark), it's Shipka that deserves the Emmy nomination this year. Thanks for making our own adolescence seem a little less terrifying in comparison."
Brian Moylan on Revenge's Madeleine Stowe (Victoria Grayson): "So often on television dramas you see the characters boiling over into histrionics and crying jags and pleading scenes where they're just asking for one man to love her. Never Ms. Stowe. It is all about control with her, not only of the other people around her, but over her own emotions. So often the Emmy goes to someone who is completely unhinged (congratulations on your inevitable victory, Claire Danes), but I think it's time that we bestow a trophy for the rarest of dramatic gifts: restraint."
Alicia Lutes on Veep's Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Selina Meyer): "Louis-Dreyfus has been in the game for ages, so she knows how to jump from cold to vulnerable to tedious to frazzled to sad to uppity to out-of-touch with a fluidity that is rarely seen in even the most practiced of dancers. Timing is everything in comedy, and when your comedic platform discusses the frenzied, constantly-moving multi-headed beast that is politics in America, well, you've got your work cut out for you. But not our girl Julia — oh no, no, no. She is in charge of at least one thing as Selina Meyer, and that is her comedic brilliance. There's no better sort of take-down than a comedy take-down, and home-girl is giving it to us."
Matt Patches on Awake's Jason Isaacs (Det. Michael Britten): "Issacs understands Britten in a way that makes him indefinitely malleable — a key to his ability of slipping back and forth between worlds. The perfect example of Killen's curveball-after-curveball strategy comes when Britten 'loses' his son's reality. Britten's groove is completely thrown off and Isaac sells it. Sometimes it's breakdown, breakdown, breakdown with Awake, but it always works thanks to Isaac's everyman quality. It's hard to imagine the man as the same guy who embodied the dastardly evil of Harry Potter's Lucius Malfoy."
Kate Ward on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson (Dee): "Credit Olson for being able to make you cheer for a woman you hope never to meet your entire life. She is one of the most unique actresses currently on television, playing a woman with little to no redeeming qualities outside of her ability to heavily binge drink… Not to mention the fact that Olson is one of the most gifted physical comediennes on television. Olson comes from the same school of physical comedy as former Emmy winners Lucille Ball, Debra Messing, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Add that to her spit-out-your-beer delivery of lines like "I will eat your babies, bitch!" and the actress' moxie (Olson once told me that she strongly lobbied for Dee to be just as terrible as the rest of her Paddy's cohorts, and not just act as "the girl" amongst horrible men), and it's hard not to hope that Olson will soon boast the award notoriety of comedy's most talented lady legends."
Kelsea Stahler on Shameless' Emmy Rossum (Fiona Gallagher): "Fiona’s load of issues is too much for one person, and taking on such a character is a feat for only the most talented, nimble actress. Rossum is just that. She tackles the mile-a-minute, inconsistent road of the Gallagher family rock with ease, switching from hot-and-heavy romance to motherly affection to stern, familial protector to losing her mind in the span of a single episode. She struggles with the feminist issue of being the eldest daughter and therefore being charged with the duty of taking her mother’s duty while her brothers frolic with their teenage tryst-mates. Rossum juggles the actress’ equivalent of her character’s harrowing load and she does so flawlessly."
Michael Arbeiter on Community's Danny Pudi (Abed): "While Pudi might be written off as a quirky sidekick character, he’s actually the lifeblood of Community. He’s the character with the most riveting emotional makeup, and quite often the character that commands the biggest laughs. Abed can most likely rattle off every Emmy winner in TV history. If there’s any justice in the world, he’d be adding Danny Pudi’s name to that list this fall."
Alicia Lutes on Parks and Recreation's Aubrey Plaza (April Ludgate): "In the world of comedy these days, awkward is king. And no one makes us feel more uncomfortable than Aubrey Plaza. And we mean that as a total compliment. No one has mastered the art of deadpan quite like her — and on a sitcom peppered with the hyper-enthusiasm of Leslie Knope, Tom Haverford, and her own husband (on the show) Andy Dwyer, her distaste for pretty much, well, everything is a fantastic foil for the show. To make a character like that not seem tedious and overdone is definitely no easy task, and April Ludgate-Dwyer's evolution over the past few seasons has shown her range. She is more than just the sarcastic girl, and for that we love her."
Brian Moylan on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: "That is why RHOBH is one of the best shows on television. It is like a gorgeous palace that was built on a tar pit and everyone once in awhile, the black ooze starts to bubble up all around it and all the ladies pretend like nothing is happening, like we can't see the inevitable disaster, but it's all there, all their hopes and fears, all their shattering omissions, all their deep dark regrets and bad behavior. It's all right there for us to see, and just like Willy Loman, that other great American tragic figure, demands: attention must be paid."
Kelly Schremph on Once Upon a Time's Robert Carlyle (Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin): "…if there's one thing audiences love, it's a challenge. Carlyle gives us something to dissect and continually propels the plot forward with his double-crossing antics. It's impossible to determine which side he's really on, which makes him all the more enthralling and a bit of a wild card. Basically, Carlyle has the uncanny ability to spin character development into gold... The writers may be the creators, but Carlyle brings it all to life, keeping the audience on their toes right up to the very last mischievous laugh."
Aly Semigran on New Girl's Jake Johnson (Nick): "A great straight man stands back and lets the leading lady or pratfall man take the center stage, an unsung hero who effortlessly elevates the material with a biting quip or thoughtful detail. He is the ultimate secret weapon to making an ensemble tick, something Jake Johnson most certainly does every week on New Girl. It's not as obvious or sexy to nominate or reward subtle work, but if anyone is a testament to be an unassuming, unexpected delight, it's Jake Johnson."
[Photo Credits: NBC/FX/Fox]
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You love them, we love them, and it's high time Emmy recognized them. We're talking about the TV actors and actresses who have yet to be recognized by the Academy of Television Arts &amp; Sciences, despite drawing us in week in and week out with their awe-inspiring ability to make us laugh, cry, or a weird combination of both. So every day here at Hollywood.com, we're going to be saluting those on the small screen who deserve an Emmy nomination, longshot status be damned. Today, we cast our ballot for Girls star Zosia Mamet.
On paper, Zosia Mamet's character on Girls, the lovable, but naive Shoshanna can be categorized as a new school neurotic upper-class New York Jew. But the 24-year-old actress (whose wide range on the small screen has already been evident with her turn as Peggy's lesbian friend Joyce on AMC's Mad Men) manages to achieve a perfectly balanced high wire act with the character.
While other actresses would have been tempted to play too over-the-top (Shoshanna and Jemima Kirke's free-spirited Jessa are, arguably, the more animated girls) or underplay her less attractive qualities (a spoiled rich girl with all the luxuries of Manhattan life at her disposal whose main objective seems to be finding a man), Mamet has carefully crafted her character into a motormouth princess who you would likely avoid in real life, but whose every sped-up word on Girls you hang on to. ("I'm so happy to see you, I could murder you.") Not to mention, she's the most likable one of the bunch.
The more impressive feat is that Mamet has mostly avoided the massive heap of backlash the boundary-breaking series has received. While Mamet, like the show's creator/writer/leading lady and target of most of the anti-Girls scorn Lena Dunham, is also from a privileged, famous background (she's the daughter of David Mamet and Lindsay Crouse and granddaughter of Russel Crouse), attention towards the actress has primarily been focused on her performance as Shoshanna, "the least virgin-y virgin ever." Well, former, least virgin-y virgin after that finale. Don't you dare mess with our girl, Ray.
That may just be the ultimate testament to Mamet's power on the series, too. While media darling Dunham (who, despite all the backlash, has just as many fervently supportive fans, some of which will likely be Emmy voters) can be hard to differentiate from her character at times, Mamet's darling Shoshanna feels unique, a breath of fresh air in an often times dark and cynical comedy.
That's not to suggest that Mamet's Shoshanna — or Shosh, if you will — is only providing Girls' much-needed hit of broad and physical comedy. (Take, for instance, her drop-dead funny brush with inadvertent drug consumption gone awry in the episode "Welcome to Bushwick a.k.a. The Crackcident.") While she does bring that to the table, the versatile actress provides something bigger to the scope of the groundbreaking show. She's the one who embodies the feminine side that so many viewers can relate to (watching bad TV in a Snuggie) that her friends, who are so hip she "could puke," would never dare embrace. She's also the voice that acknowledges Sex and the City was, for a generation of girls, a huge part of their lexicon/way of thinking and paved the way for Girls to even happen. (For the record, Shoshanna would definitely be a Charlotte.)
But, more than anything, Mamet's Shoshanna is the most quietly surprising of quartet. (Okay, maybe quiet isn't the best word to describe her.) Shoshanna may come off as a nervous wreck, but she's handled so many situations in a way her friends could never dream. While Dunham's Hannah danced around her feelings with Adam, waiting for him to let their relationship status question mark come to a head, Shoshanna has never failed to tell a guy who she is and what she's looking for. If Hannah is a representative of our scared, unrelenting inner dialogue, Shoshanna is, mercifully, that unfiltered part of us that lets it all out.
Mamet has made the playful, yet nuanced Shoshanna both Girls' colorfully dressed black sheep and the one viewers most want to include in their own gang. If Emmy knew what was good for her, she'd let Mamet into her inner circle as well.
[Photo credit: HBO]
Girls Emmy
More:
Girls Finale: The Last Stop
Girls: A Show For Guys?
2012 Emmy Longshots: Community Star Danny Pudi

Six years have passed since Rush Hour 2 but the song remains the same. And in case audiences have forgotten LAPD Detective Carter (Chris Tucker) is quick to remind us in the opening scene of the relationship at the story’s core: Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) is perpetually slightly miffed at Carter and their language/cultural barriers don’t help. Almost immediately the two are reunited as crime-fighting partners following an assassination attempt on Chinese Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma) by a member of the Triad gang. The Triad sniper naturally turns out to be Lee’s long-lost orphanage “brother ” Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada) which renders Lee unable to pull the trigger when they come face to face. So Lee and Carter are forced to travel to Paris where they hope to find Kenji and the rumored Triad leader Shy Shen. Along the way they stumble upon an equal amount of clues and trouble both of which culminate when they meet a drop-dead-gorgeous performer named Genevieve (Noemie Lenoir). She proves an integral piece to the puzzle literally revealing secrets with each layer of her wardrobe but it'll take a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower before Lee and Carter can solve the crime. Chris Tucker is in the wrong movie this weekend—he and not Cuba Gooding Jr. should be playing the role vacated by Eddie Murphy in Daddy Day Camp. The once raunchy indefatigable comic plays Carter so PG and unenthusiastically that his target audience would seem to be children. In fact he relies so heavily on pratfalls in Rush Hour 3 that if the Home Alone franchise is ever resurrected—and we know he’d love another franchise—sign him up to play one of the bad guys. There are a few instances in which Tucker puts his motormouth to good use and evokes his former self but the lasting impression is of him playing his unfunny lines safe where he used to swing for the fences. Chan remains a stuntman first actor second and the so-wrong-it’s-comical American accent that is his shtick has suddenly become ironically over-acted. His stunt work and action sequences are now a necessary respite from the Carter-Lee banter as opposed to once being vice versa. The backseat supporting performances range from the incredibly hot (French actress/model Lenoir) to the incredibly odd: Legendary director Roman Polanski who will go unrecognized by those clamoring to see RH3 pops up as an obnoxious French policeman. Sure enough it is the movie’s best performance. Rush Hour 3 plays like a “This franchise is done” manifesto and yet good box office could still spawn a fourth. Whether the series mercilessly limps on or dies here in its sleep this much is clear: Director Brett Ratner he of inexplicable household-name status has squeezed all the mileage and (seemingly) dollars he can out of the stale buddy-cop sub-genre and after what could arguably be considered the seventh Lethal Weapon it is time to move on. Forgetting screenwriter Jeff Nathanson’s (Rush Hour 2 Catch Me If You Can) highly unimaginative by-the-book script—which is once again nothing more than a carousel of clichés—it’s Ratner who dulls it down the most. His generic if not lazy direction plagues the movie and comes across as Michael Bay lite. Gone completely is Ratner’s ability to fuse the action with the comedy for a somewhat enjoyably swift pace; thus gone as well for the most part is the entertainment. And the climactic Eiffel Tower conclusion aside from probably bordering on blasphemous to Parisians looks like shoddy CGI. It’s dizzying—and not in the good way.

When eccentric writer/director John Waters made the subversive but colorful Hairspray in 1988—about a plus-sized girl and her dreams to dance as she breaks taboos in the early ‘60s—he probably thought it would be chalked up as another of his cult favorites. But here we are reviewing the latest Hairspray incarnation a movie version of the smash hit Broadway musical based on the 1988 offbeat classic. Funny how things work. The story is pretty much the same: The bubbly Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart wants to dance on Baltimore’s TV dance show The Corny Collins Show. Her mother Edna (Travolta) isn’t too keen on her daughter’s aspirations only because she doesn’t want to see Tracy hurt. But against all odds Tracy wows them on and off the TV screen squashing the reigning princess Amber Von Tussle (Brittany Snow) finding love with the local hunk Link (Zac Efron)—and fighting for racial equality on the hippest dance party on TV. Tracy is the cornerstone to making Hairspray zing—and every actress who has played her has nailed it in her own way. Ricki Lake gave us a good start as the original; Marissa Jaret Winokur won a Tony playing her on Broadway. Now we have brilliant newcomer Nikki Blonsky a former ice cream parlor employee who beat out several hundred girls to win the role. Her happy-go-lucky Tracy quite literally lights up the screen every time she appears and you find yourself grinning like a fool the whole time she is shimmying and shaking. Let’s hope she isn’t just a one-trick pony. The supporting cast is also very appealing. Michelle Pfeiffer who once again gets to use those lovely pipes of hers is perfectly unctuous as Velma Von Tussle Amber’s scheming mother and the TV station manager. Queen Latifah adds her certain joie de vivre as Motormouth Maybelle the host of Corny Collins’ “Negro Day.” Also good are Amanda Bynes as Tracy’s lollypop-eating best friend Penny Pingleton and Elijah Kelley as the groovin’ Seaweed Penny’s forbidden love. The one drawback is Travolta as the oversized Edna. He does a fair job as the caring mom who is reticent to let her daughter go out into the big bad world. We can even see the old Travolta we know and love come alive when Edna dances. But because the actor simply looks so very wrong in latex and lipstick it takes away from the performance. No one can really surpass the late Divine the original Hairspray’s Turnblad matriarch who did it au naturel. Directing a movie like Hairspray is basically a no-brainer and choosing Adam Shankman to helm is as good a choice as anyone else. He is certainly not known for his cinematic genius having directed fluff such as Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and The Pacifier but he understands the bubblegum appeal of a bee-bopping musical. Fueled by catchy tunes from the Broadway show plus a few new ones created just for the movie Shankman orchestrates the big song and dance numbers—of which there are plenty—in such a way to get you moving in your seat every time. He also frames his talent in their more personal character-driven songs with a steady hand. I just wonder what John Waters would have done with it. Maybe a little more dog poop? In any event forget about Chicago and Dreamgirls--Hairspray is the perfect popcorn movie musical that will get everyone dancing and singing the way Grease did a generation ago.

Synopsis

Reality series which uses hidden cameras to comb the streets of American cities and towns in hopes of finding their very worst singers and drivers. Contestants from two locales are chosen as strong representatives of poor voice and road skills, and at the end of each episode, two finalists, narrowed down by VH1, must then compete for the somewhat-mixed title of "Ultimate Motormouth."